Sociable humanoid robots pose a dramatic and intriguing shift in the way one thinks about control of autonomous robots.

Traditionally, autonomous robots are designed to operate as independently and remotely as possible from humans, often performing tasks in hazardous and hostile environments.

However, a new range of application domains (domestic, entertainment, health care, etc.) are driving the development of robots that can interact and cooperate with people, and play a part in their daily lives.